New Bedford

New Bedford is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts. The area was settled in 1652 by colonists from the Plymouth Colony, who purchased the land from the Wampanoag Native Americans. The village was incorporated in 1787, and it became a city in 1847. Until 1800, New Bedford was populated by Protestants of English, Scottish, Welsh, and Dutch origin, and many Irish people came to the state in the first half of the 19th century. Later in that century, immigrants from Portugal began arriving in New Bedford, as did Polish and Jewish immigrants. In 2016, New Bedford had a population of 95,032 people.